I've been into balloon twisting for around three months now and seem to have a knack for it. Like with my magic study, I started gravitating towards media that can help me hone my skills in this area. Out of all the books I've read thus far, One Balloon Zoo by Jimmy Davis, checked all the boxes for me. The only downside I could say is that the ways of pumps are not covered, since this is a book from an older time, Jim Davis teaches you techniques via mouth inflation. Not a deal breaker by any means. In fact, it's a great skill to learn for a "just in case" situation. It's just a personal choice I've made in my balloon work early on, to not inflate by mouth if I can help it. With Jim's teaching though, I can and might if one of these days I need too.
Jim is a great teacher and I wish this author had more published work to digest. The ad copy says that Jim adds personality to his work and that is absolutely true. Even the basic animal (dog) that you'll learn at the beginning of this book has a special touch in regards to how the finished product looks. In my opinion all the designs are still worthwhile to learn to this day and although I'm not a big fan of the Monkey design in this book, I've found that if you make the body with smaller bubbles, to leave yourself with a big tail that you can curl up, it will satisfy a future request for a monkey. It's a very easy design also.
I think the most difficult thing I learned in this book is the technique to thin your balloon. This technique would actually be more expedient with mouth inflation, but it does translate well with a simple hand pump as well. It can be a pain with a hand pump though, but worth the effort to try and master. The two designs in this book that use this are the Elephant and Aardvark/Anteater. I haven't read another book thus far that teaches this technique and in my opinion this old school knowledge is worth the price of admission. The Elephant presented here has a striking semblance to Disney's Dumbo. It's also got a rustic, charming quality to it (like the other designs presented here). I love the fact that with the thinning technique, I can have a long thin trunk and a big head for my elephant, with ONE bubble. It adds to the design and is just one example of how Jim Davis's personality is evident.
The text is clear and easy to understand. The photographs are excellent and make me wish I could've seen Jim in his prime. The interview at the end of the book is also fascinating. With the exception of the thinning technique, everything in this book is beginner accessible. Basic designs that ooze Jim's personality and showcase his thoughtful expertise are on full display for the passionate student. I had fun making all 12 of these designs and it started my mind racing and thinking about how I could go about personalizing my own work in the future. The big value of this book is learning directly from Jim. It truly is a blessing to learn from him and if you think that these basic designs are below you...you're missing out on valuable knowledge that you can carry over into more complex designs in the future.
I just found out also, through a little research that this is book one of a trilogy! I have the other parts of the trilogy coming in direct from Magic Inc. and I'm excited to continue expanding my One Balloon Zoo toolbox! Unfortunately, this is the only Jim Davis book in the trilogy. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in balloon twisting regardless of skill level. I'm so happy to have discovered Jim Davis and this series. I hope if this review inspires future students to take a gamble on this, that they see what I do in this thin but potent volume. Another quality Magic Inc. publication and there are many!
